NEWSLINKS US EDITION SOUTH ASIA COLUMNISTS DIARY SPECIALS INTERVIEWS CAPITAL BUZZ REDIFF POLL DEAR REDIFF THE STATES ELECTIONS ARCHIVES US ARCHIVES SEARCH REDIFF
D Jose in Thiruvananthapuram
The Kerala government has shelved its plan to distribute condoms to potential transmitters of AIDS at the Sabarimala pilgrim centre, leaving the hilly district of Pathanamthitta vulnerable to the disease.
AIDS control agencies in the state are upset over the decision, which was apparently taken under pressure from Hindu organisations.
The agencies had proposed the programme after it was found that AIDS cases were on the rise in the district after every pilgrim season.
Six people are undergoing treatment for the disease at the General Hospital. No authoritative studies are available on the AIDS scene in the district, which incidentally produced the state's first AIDS patient. But media reports said the cases are going up alarmingly.
The location of the pilgrim centre in the district is considered as the major factor for the increase.
Besides, the district also has large number of migrants, who are treated as high-risk category. The pilgrim season from November to January brings large number of drivers, beggars and traders, who are considered as other potential transmitters of AIDS.
The Kerala AIDS Control Society had proposed to distribute free condoms to this category.
But many Hindu organisations viewed it as part of a conspiracy to discredit the shrine.
The Ayyappa Seva Sangham, an organisation of the devotees of the principal deity at the Ayyappa Temple at Sabarimala, argues the Sabarimala cannot pose any threat since women in their puberty age are not allowed there.
"Majority of the pilgrims undertake the pilgrimage after observing abstinence for 41 days. How can they imagine of indulging in any sexual activity during or after the pilgrimage? We would not allow anybody to insult them," Sangham vice-president Paramsivan Nair said.
The Vishwa Hindu Parishad and other members of the Sangh Parivar also echoed similar feelings and vowed to resist the move at any cost. State Devaswom and Cultural Affairs Minister G Karthikeyan did not wait for these organisations to unleash an agitation. He directed the Devaswom management not to allow the distribution of the condoms in the hill shrine.
Kerala AIDS Cell convenor Dr N Prasannakumar believes that these organisations had opposed the programme out of misunderstanding. "We had never proposed to distribute condoms to the pilgrims. We targeted only the drivers, beggars and other high-risk categories. They pose threat everywhere," he said.
Dr Prasannakumar told rediff.com that AIDS was a major threat in pilgrim centres all over the world. "Authorities in most pilgrim centres have already started taking preventive measures. The Kerala government will have to take the situation seriously sooner or later," he added.
Dr Abraham Mathew, director of the State Management Agency, the project support unit of Kerala AIDS Control Society, said that it was unfortunate that the government had shot down the proposal without taking a scientific view of the situation.
He said that his agency would continue with the awareness programmes at Sabarimala and other places in the district.
Back to top
Tell us what you think of this report
